“Den” is a 2001 American independent Psychological Horror film, written and
directed by Greg Arce, under the independent production company Clown Tears
Productions. The film was embroiled in a major controversy over alleged
plagiarism following accusations by its director and numerous film fans
regarding its striking similarities to the 2004 Psychological Horror film “Saw.”
Plot.
Partially filmed in Australia and premiering on June 15, 2001, at the Ince
Theatre in Culver City, California, United States, with a formal festival
premiere at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival (MUFF) in Australia in
July 2002, the film tells the story of a madman who kidnaps and locks up
several young people in an abandoned theater and subjects them to a deadly
game of questions and answers, promising the winner a chance to walk out
alive from that chamber of punishment where truth, sin, and religious faith
take center stage.
The feature film received mixed reviews, with critics calling it “disturbing”
and “insane,” as well as “mediocre” and “boring.” But it wasn't until 2004,
with the massive success of “Saw”, written by Leigh Whannell, directed by
James Wan, and produced by Lionsgate, that “Den” came into the spotlight,
following allegations by Greg Arce that the film had been plagiarized by the
filmmaking duo.
Similarities.
Over the years, a list has been compiled, led by director Greg Arce, that
details all the similarities between “Den” and “Saw”:
1) The general concept of a serial killer who devises psychological games in
which he pits one victim against another so they will kill each other.
2) Hidden secrets that each victim has and that connect them to one another.
3) One of the main characters in “Saw” is a doctor; in “Den,” we have a
psychotherapist. Both characters have a secret related to infidelity.
4) The idea that the killer must have been watching or gathering information
about the victims' lives in order to know so much about them.
5) The main scene that closes out the entire film shows the two victims
chained up, unable to reach each other. Although “Saw” takes place in an old
bathroom and “Den” in an old movie theater, the appearance of the walls,
pipes, and chains is very similar.
6) In “Den,” the killer targets people he believes have secrets or an
immoral past. The same is true of the killer in “Saw.”
7) In “Den,” the killer tries to force the captives to make decisions that
will result in someone else's death. The same thing happens in “Saw.”
8) The repeated phrases “Make a choice”.
9) In “Den,” there is a bathtub full of water next to one of our captives.
In “Saw,” there is a bathtub next to one of the captives.
10) The opening scene of “Saw,” when the captives wake up, is very similar
to the one in “Den,” where they ask each other where they are and what this
whole situation is all about.
11) Both movies have scenes that show how the killer picked up the captives.
12) In “Saw,” one of the characters refers to himself as if he were tied up
with a ‘leash’ because of the chain. We see the same dialogue in “Den.”
13) The big secret in “Saw” is that the killer is the guy who appears to
have been shot dead in the middle of the room. At the end, he suddenly gets
up. In “Den,” the main character grabs a gun and shoots the killer in the
middle of the room. He falls down dead. Everyone thinks that's the end of
it, and then he suddenly gets up.
14) There are two types of posters for “Den,” and on one of them, the
character shown looks very similar to the killer's doll that talks to the
captives in “Saw.” In addition, some have said that the doll resembles the
killer's appearance at the end of “Den.”
15) Both movies have one-word titles consisting of three letters.
Legal dispute.
Following the theatrical release of “Saw” during Halloween week in 2004, Greg
Arce noticed the numerous similarities between the two films and decided to
launch a legal battle, alleging plagiarism on the part of Leigh Whannell and
James Wan. Unfortunately for the filmmaker, his case went nowhere:
“I ended up consulting with several lawyers (about four or five) and
never got anywhere. They always started out optimistic and told me it was
an easy case, but then, all of a sudden, they decided it wasn't worth
their while. Some started telling me they suspected the producers of "Saw"
were paying the lawyers, but I have no proof, and I've never believed in
conspiracy theories.”
"So I ended up broke, and the "Saw" franchise grossed something like five
hundred million dollars. And the only thing I kept telling the lawyers was
that I would have at least been happy if they’d compensated me for the
cost of making "Den"… which was about $150,000… all the money I made from
selling my house. Just getting back to where I started would have meant a
lot to me, and I’m sure I would have made another movie. Oh well.”
Plagiarism?
According to Greg Arce, between 2001 and 2002, “Den” actively participated
in film festivals, such as the New York Horror Film Festival and the
Melbourne Underground Film Festival in Australia.
It is known that James Wan and Leigh Whannell met while studying film in
Australia. Whannell was from Melbourne, and Wan was from Malaysia. And
according to the director, it is plausible that both were students and were
present when Arce’s film was screened in Melbourne:
"We performed at the Melbourne Film Festival in July 2002. My lead
actress won the Best Actress award at that festival. So I know we were
well-known there. I’ve never been able to prove that those two guys were
there, but based on the story, it seemed to me that they were probably
film students or recent graduates, and what film student doesn’t go to
their local film festival? I tried to get help from the Melbourne Film
Festival, but they refused."
Although the two films have certain differences, both in terms of plot and
film production, the numerous similarities leave open the possibility that
these are more than just coincidences.
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